A dedicated police officer is being made available in a Teesside town to make it easier for victims to report crimes against gay people.

The officer will be available at The Oak pub on Newport Road in Middlesbrough on a monthly basis at 1900 BST on Thursdays from 21 June.

The scheme will give pub-goers the chance to raise concerns they have about crime in an informal setting.

It is hoped it will develop confidence between locals and the police.

Lesbian and bisexual women's network officer Lesley Duggan said: "This is an important initiative aimed at increasing the confidence of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to report hate crime.

"By introducing a named police officer who will go to The Oak each month, members of the community can have an informal chat about any hate crime they have experienced, gain advice and use this opportunity to report any crime, anonymously if they wish to do so."